I had a discussion on Tuesday night that orginally started out with “what is the purpose/meaning of prayer?” that then developed into a sort of muddled “what is the central focus/point of Christianity?”. After a bit my thoughts became jumbled and I was tired and I think my overall thought was lost. Given some time and perspective, I return to it with a much clearer head.
My thought is this: If salvation (in terms of eternal life in heaven) is the ultimate goal or central focus of Christianity, then at it’s core, it becomes a self-centered, every-man-for-himself praxis, regardless of evangelizing or proselytizing. I think this is what bothers me about the phrase “personal relationship with Jesus” or the “it’s all about me and God (or “you and God”) mentality. Because I struggle with believing that anything about my faith ought to be self-focused and completely exclusive.
